Drama and Youth - NYU - 2014

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Well… it’s all over. It’s
unbelievable to me to think that so much has happened in such a short time. It
seems that I’ve been in London for years but also that I’ve only been here for
a few seconds.

I’m not ‘gonna lie here.
Having your blog day be the last day of the program is stressful. (Thanks
Isaiah) I am feeling the pressure of summing up our experience and of making
sense of it somehow. It seems like a good idea to start at the beginning of the
day.

Thursday, July 17th began once again, in NYU Headquarters. We met Dr. Geoff and played a short game called “Do You Like Your Neighbors?” All I’ll say about it here is that I learned not to mess with Val…

Following the game, Dr.
Readman gave us some feedback on our Curriculum plans:

As theatre
educators, you must be able to explain to outsiders (such as a suspicious
administrator) why you are having children complete the activities in your
lesson. This was something that was slightly lacking in our plans and Dr. Readman suggested that we get into the habit of including it. What do you gain and lose from each activity?

·Dr. Readman also
warned us about using drama to deliver the content of our lessons; “If the
content becomes the aim, there is a danger that the drama will become simply a
functional tool to deliver the content.”

·Using
teacher-in-role invites students into the world of the drama and gives
children power over the creation of the work. This strategy specifically
creates participants in the process rather than audience members and allows for
vulnerability from both the teacher and the students.

In almost no time at all,
it was time to end the session. Dr. Readman ended by encouraging us to
become advocates for our art. He reminded us to “be clear in what you want and
what you’re here for.”

But,
just when we thought it was over, Dr. Taylor informed us that he and Dr. Readman would be singing “We’ll Meet Again” to
us. It was, for me, both a hysterical and powerful moment.

Next on the agenda were
four fabulous group presentations. Group 1 (Isabel, Greta, Christina, Isaiah,
and Val) challenged us to “educate with a variety of methods beyond theory” as
we explored their Global Arts Initiative discussion panel. They left me wondering
about how process drama can be used to address major human rights issues.
Regardless of the feedback received, I thought the group took on a challenging
lens and demonstrated that when it comes to process drama, there isn’t simply
one ‘right’ answer.

Group 2 (Alfe,
Catherine, Kristen, Jess, and Yulissa) launched us into the drama right away by
handing us cards with various nations written on them. It quickly became
apparent that we were delegates in a panel discussion. Our panel members
included Violet Beauregard, Uncle Ed-vard, Margaret Thatcher, and Lady Percy!
Throughout this brilliant teacher-in-role work, we got to question the roles
of women in the various theatrical productions we’ve attended over the past
three weeks. What are women in charge of? What can they be in charge of?

Group 3 (Rachel, Andre,
Michelle, and Sabrina) really challenged us to think about the questions that
might still linger for us in terms of process drama. I was particularly moved
by this group’s willingness to share their own personal experiences and their
bravery in asking tough questions that might not necessarily have answers. The
structure of their presentation, to me, symbolized that knowledge is gained
through others and sometimes, through not knowing.

Group 4 (Sam, Christine,
Crystal, and myself) was totally excited to have the opportunity to bring us
all together as an ensemble for one last time. Even though our presentation had
absolutely no dramatic activities in it, I really enjoyed watching the group
work together and to really think about what keeps them inspired; body, mind,
and soul. Thank you all for the impromptu reflection circle and the praise for
our work. (Whoever wrote that “SEX!!!” nurtures your body, you are kind of my
hero.)

Process drama is supposed
to empower students and give them ownership over the material. Students are
supposed to become co-creators rather than passive spectators. I think that as
a group, we took ownership for our own reflection on the presentations and I
was proud of us in that moment. In the end, we own the drama and I thought, in
that moment, we embodied what we’d like our future students to become.

After presenting our
Overlords…sorry Co- Program Assistants… with some Julius Caesar swag and
hearing a final word from Dr. Taylor (“ART= Action, Reflection, Transformation” and
“Follow your bliss. Don’t be stymied by the blocks. Figure out how to get
through them.”), it was time to get our curriculum plans back and head over to
the reception.

After a cup of wine
(actually about four), I headed over to the Greatly Anticipated Pub Crawl of
2014. We visited three of London’s oldest and most famous pubs; The City of
Dorke, Fuller’s Ale & Pie House (aka The Old Bank of England), and Ye Olde
Cheshire Cheese. What can I say about this experience? We met a lot of new
people; Cierra, Bourbon, Ms. Cleo Peppa, Esther, Josh, Amber, Margruitte, Bell,
and Blanche. We drank. We ate pies that might have been made out of human
flesh. We drank. We listened to a fabulous and lengthy history of London’s
pubs. We drank. We embarrassed Isaiah on the bus home. We truly enjoyed some of
the last moments we would share together in London. Oh, and we also drank. :) Sorry, I’m not sorry.